# Ishmael — Moby-Dick character guide > Ishmael in Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Unknown, the stranger, a stranger, the narrator **First appearance:** 0004-i-loomings ## Snapshot A brooding wanderer who goes to sea whenever November settles in his soul, and finds in whaling a substitute for pistol and ball. ## Who they are Ishmael drifts toward New Bedford with little money and less purpose, drawn by the same tide that pulls thousands of landlocked men to stare at the water. His melancholy is real but wry, and he treats the voyage as a cure for the spleen rather than a calling. Because he narrates everything, his curiosity becomes the reader's own, and his unlikely friendship with a tattooed harpooner turns a commercial voyage into a study of how strangers become shipmates. ## Relationships ### [Queequeg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/queequeg) _friendship_ Ishmael and Queequeg develop a deep, intimate, and loyal friendship after sharing a bed and becoming shipmates. ### [Captain Ahab](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_ahab) _professional_ Ahab is the obsessed captain and Ishmael is a common sailor under his command, serving as the novel's narrator and observer. ### [Moby Dick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/moby_dick) _psychological_ Ishmael is a philosophical observer both fascinated and terrified by the symbolic whale, which represents the unknowable and destructive force of nature. ### [Captain Bildad](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_bildad) _professional_ Bildad is a part-owner of the Pequod who interviews and hires Ishmael as a sailor for the voyage. ### [Captain Peleg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_peleg) _professional_ Peleg is a part-owner of the Pequod who interviews, hires, and negotiates the terms of Ishmael's voyage. ### [Starbuck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/starbuck) _professional_ Ishmael is a sailor and Starbuck is the first mate, his superior officer on the Pequod. ### [Stubb](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/stubb) _professional_ Ishmael is a sailor and Stubb is the second mate, his superior officer on the Pequod. ### [Fedallah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/fedallah) _social_ Fedallah is a mysterious and ominous figure, the harpooner of Ahab's secret boat crew, with whom Ishmael has limited and foreboding interactions. ### [Queequeg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/queequeg) _friendship_ Ishmael and Queequeg develop a deep, intimate, and loyal friendship after sharing a bed and becoming shipmates. ### [Fedallah](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/fedallah) _social_ Fedallah is a mysterious and ominous figure, the harpooner of Ahab's secret boat crew, with whom Ishmael has limited and foreboding interactions. ### [Captain Ahab](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_ahab) _professional_ Ahab is the obsessed captain and Ishmael is a common sailor under his command, serving as the novel's narrator and observer. ### [Queequeg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/queequeg) _friendship_ Ishmael and Queequeg develop a deep, intimate, and loyal friendship after sharing a bed and becoming shipmates. ## In the story ### [Loomings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/i-loomings) Introduces himself as the narrator, detailing his melancholic temperament, philosophical musings on water and fate, and his decision to go on a whaling voyage. ### [II: The Carpetbag](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/ii-the-carpetbag) The narrator, arriving alone in New Bedford with little money, searching for lodging and reflecting philosophically on his surroundings. ### [III: The Spouter-Inn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/iii-the-spouter-inn) The narrator, arriving at the inn, anxious and observant of the strange surroundings and his impending roommate. ### [IV: The Counterpane](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/iv-the-counterpane) Narrates the intimate and comical morning scene, reflecting on his childhood fears and observing Queequeg's habits with a mix of curiosity and rudeness. ### [Breakfast](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/v-breakfast) Narrates the scene, reflecting on the nature of humor and observing the social dynamics of the whalemen with a philosophical eye. ### [VI: The Street](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/vi-the-street) Narrates his observations of New Bedford's streets, expressing initial astonishment at its inhabitants and reflecting on the source of the town's wealth. ### [The Chapel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/vii-the-chapel) Visits the chapel, reflects on mortality and the fate of whalemen, and observes the grieving congregation. ### [VIII: The Pulpit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/viii-the-pulpit) Observes and narrates the scene in the chapel, pondering the symbolism of Father Mapple's actions and the chapel's decor. ### [The Sermon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/ix-the-sermon) The listener and narrator of the sermon; the lessons on fate, defiance, and the 'delight' of steadfastness foreshadow his own journey. ### [A Bosom Friend](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/x-a-bosom-friend) Narrates the deepening bond with Queequeg, questioning his own religious prejudices and finding redemption from his 'wolfish world' view through their friendship. ### [Nightgown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xi-nightgown) Narrates the intimate, philosophical scene in bed with Queequeg, reflecting on comfort, identity, and his growing affection for his friend. ### [XII: Biographical](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xii-biographical) Narrates the chapter, listens to Queequeg's story, and joyously agrees to have Queequeg as his companion on the whaling voyage. ### [XIII: Wheelbarrow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xiii-wheelbarrow) Narrates the journey to Nantucket, deepens his bond with Queequeg, and reflects on the 'endlessness' of whaling voyages and the 'magnanimity of the sea.' ### [XIV: Nantucket](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xiv-nantucket) Narrator describing the arrival at Nantucket and delivering the extended, philosophical paean to the island and its seafaring people. ### [Chowder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xv-chowder) Narrates the arrival at the Try Pots, experiments with the chowder orders, and reflects on the ominous gallows-like sign. ### [The Ship](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xvi-the-ship) Determined to go whaling to 'see the world,' he is interviewed by Peleg, feels sympathy and awe for the unknown Ahab, and, guided by Yojo's indirect decree, selects the Pequod as their ship. ### [The Ramadan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xvii-the-ramadan) Narrator who observes and respects Queequeg's ritual, though he later tries to argue against its perceived absurdity. His alarm leads to the comic scene of breaking down the door. ### [His Mark](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xviii-his-mark) Advocates for Queequeg, cleverly defines a universal church to satisfy the captains, and is overjoyed when his friend is enrolled. ### [XIX: The Prophet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xix-the-prophet) Narrator of the encounter; initially dismissive of Elijah's warnings but is left with lingering 'vague wonderments and half-apprehensions' about the Pequod and Ahab. ### [All Astir](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xx-all-astir) Visits the ship and grows anxious about sailing without meeting Captain Ahab, revealing his internal doubts about the voyage. ### [Going Aboard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxi-going-aboard) Narrates the eerie boarding process; is perturbed by Elijah's warnings and the ship's unnatural quiet. ### [Merry Christmas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxii-merry-christmas) Narrates the departure, pausing at his work out of fear of Peleg's piloting, receives his 'first kick' from Peleg, and finds solace in Bildad's psalmody. ### [The Lee Shore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxiii-the-lee-shore) Narrator and philosophical observer; reflects on Bulkington's choice and expands it into a universal meditation on the human condition. ### [The Advocate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxiv-the-advocate) Narrator and passionate advocate for the whaling profession, drawing on historical, economic, and philosophical arguments. ### [Postscript](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxv-postscript) Acts as the narrator and advocate, presenting a satirical argument to elevate the status of whaling by linking it to royal ritual. ### [Ahab](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxviii-ahab) Narrator; describes his growing apprehension about the unseen captain, then his profound, shivering first impression of Ahab's appearance and demeanor. ### [Cetology](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxxii-cetology) Acts as the narrator and self-appointed cetologist, systematically classifying whales while humorously acknowledging the limits of human knowledge on the subject. ### [XXXV: The Masthead](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxxv-the-masthead) Narrates his first masthead watch, confessing to being a distracted, philosophical lookout lost in thought. ### [XLI: Moby Dick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xli-moby-dick) Narrates the chapter, confesses his own complicity in the crew's oath of revenge against Moby Dick, and details the whale's fearsome history. ### [XLII: The Whiteness of the Whale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xlii-the-whiteness-of-the-whale) Narrator and philosophical explorer; delves into the metaphysical terror inspired by the whale's whiteness, positioning himself as an interpreter of profound horror. ### [XLV: The Affidavit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xlv-the-affidavit) Acts as the narrator and compiler of evidence, drawing on his personal experience as a whaleman and citing specific historical cases to argue for the veracity of his tale. ### [XLVI: Surmises](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xlvi-surmises) The narrator who articulates Ahab's internal calculations and the philosophical underpinnings of his managerial strategy. ### [XLVII: The Mat-Maker](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xlvii-the-mat-maker) Narrator; meditates deeply on fate, free will, and chance while weaving the mat with Queequeg, seeing himself as a shuttle in the 'Loom of Time.' ### [XLIX: The Hyena](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xlix-the-hyena) Narrator. Develops a 'genial, desperado philosophy' after a capsizing, questioning the dangers of whaling and drafting his will to achieve a sense of posthumous calm. ### [LII: The Albatross](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lii-the-albatross) Narrates the encounter from the masthead, describing the spectral appearance of the Goney and the silent, ominous interaction. ### [LIII: The Gam](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/liii-the-gam) Acts as the narrator and cultural anthropologist, defining the 'Gam' and contrasting the social customs of different types of ships at sea. ### [LIV: The Town-Ho’s Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/liv-the-town-ho-s-story) Narrator of the Town-Ho's story to his Spanish friends at the Golden Inn. ### [LV: Of the Monstrous Pictures of Whales](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lv-of-the-monstrous-pictures-of-whales) Narrates the chapter, critiquing inaccurate whale depictions with scholarly and sardonic wit. ### [LVI: Of the Less Erroneous Pictures of Whales, and the True Pictures of Whaling Scenes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lvi-of-the-less-erroneous-pictures-of-whales-and-the-true-pictures-of-whaling-scenes) Acts as the critical narrator and art critic, evaluating various pictorial representations of whales and whaling scenes based on his firsthand knowledge. ### [LVII: Of Whales in Paint; in Teeth; in Wood; in Sheet-Iron; in Stone; in Mountains; in Stars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lvii-of-whales-in-paint-in-teeth-in-wood-in-sheet-iron-in-stone-in-mountains-in-stars) Acts as the narrator and observer, analyzing the cultural artifacts and natural phenomena that depict whales, and declaring his own 'savage' identity aligned with whalemen. ### [Brit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lviii-brit) Narrator and philosophical observer; delivers the extended meditation on the sea's terror and its analogy to the human soul. ### [The Line](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lx-the-line) Acts as the narrator and technical philosopher, describing the whale-line's properties and its profound metaphorical significance for human life. ### [LXI: Stubb Kills a Whale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxi-stubb-kills-a-whale) Narrates the chapter, describing the dreamy prelude to the sighting and the violent hunt from his vantage. ### [LXII: The Dart](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxii-the-dart) Narrates the technical critique of whaling practice, drawing on personal experience ('For one, I cannot bawl very heartily and work very recklessly at one and the same time') to argue for reform. ### [LXV: The Whale as a Dish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxv-the-whale-as-a-dish) The philosophical narrator who recounts historical anecdotes, personal experiences (frying biscuit in oil), and delivers the moral critique on cannibalism and civilized hypocrisy. ### [LXVIII: The Blanket](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxviii-the-blanket) Acts as the narrator and natural philosopher, analyzing the whale's integument with scientific curiosity and poetic reflection, drawing moral lessons for humanity. ### [The Funeral](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxix-the-funeral) Narrates the scene, offering philosophical reflections on death, scavengers, and the birth of superstition from the whale's corpse. ### [LXXII: The Monkey-Rope](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxii-the-monkey-rope) Narrator and Queequeg's 'bowsman'; physically and philosophically bound to Queequeg via the monkey-rope, reflecting on fate, free will, and human connection. ### [LXXIV: The Sperm Whale’s Head—Contrasted View](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxiv-the-sperm-whale-s-head-contrasted-view) Acts as the narrator and cetological guide, leading the comparative analysis of the whale heads with philosophical and scientific curiosity. ### [LXXV: The Right Whale’s Head—Contrasted View](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxv-the-right-whale-s-head-contrasted-view) Narrator and observer; provides the detailed anatomical description and philosophical musings on the two whale heads. ### [LXXVI: The Battering-Ram](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxvi-the-battering-ram) Acts as narrator and natural philosopher, meticulously dissecting the whale's anatomy to argue for its formidable power. ### [LXXVII: The Great Heidelburgh Tun](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxvii-the-great-heidelburgh-tun) Narrates the chapter, providing a meticulous, scientific, and analogical dissection of the sperm whale's head and the process of baling the case. ### [LXXVIII: Cistern and Buckets](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxviii-cistern-and-buckets) The narrator who describes the entire perilous operation and Queequeg's heroic 'obstetrics,' offering philosophical reflections on the event. ### [LXXIX: The Prairie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxix-the-prairie) Acts as the philosophical narrator, attempting to apply the 'semi-sciences' of physiognomy and phrenology to the whale's head, while acknowledging the limits of his own and humanity's ability to decipher it. ### [The Nut](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxx-the-nut) Narrates the chapter, presenting his anatomical and phrenological theories about the sperm whale's brain and spine. ### [LXXXII: The Honor and Glory of Whaling](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxxii-the-honor-and-glory-of-whaling) Acts as the narrator and scholar, passionately constructing a historical and mythological defense of whaling's honor. ### [LXXXIII: Jonah Historically Regarded](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxxiii-jonah-historically-regarded) Narrates the chapter, presenting the skeptical arguments of whalemen and the theological counter-arguments with a tone of scholarly irony. ### [LXXXV: The Fountain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxxv-the-fountain) Narrator and philosophical investigator; ponders the nature of the whale's spout, drawing scientific and metaphysical conclusions. ### [LXXXVI: The Tail](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxxvi-the-tail) The narrator and observer, delivering a scientific and metaphysical meditation on the whale's tail, comparing it to elephants, Roman walls, and artistic depictions of strength. ### [LXXXVII: The Grand Armada](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxxvii-the-grand-armada) Narrates the intense, perilous journey into the herd and the serene, revealing spectacle at its heart. ### [Fast-Fish and Loose-Fish](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxxix-fast-fish-and-loose-fish) Narrator and expositor of the whaling code and its universal applications. ### [XC: Heads or Tails](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xc-heads-or-tails) Narrates the legal treatise and anecdote, providing sardonic commentary on English law and royal privilege. ### [The Pequod Meets the Rose-Bud](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xci-the-pequod-meets-the-rose-bud) Narrates the chapter but is not an active participant in the events described. ### [XCII: Ambergris](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xcii-ambergris) Narrates the chapter, providing detailed facts about ambergris, refuting slanders against whalemen, and offering philosophical musings on corruption and fragrance. ### [XCIII: The Castaway](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xciii-the-castaway) The narrator who provides the philosophical meditation on Pip's fate, linking it to themes of madness, perception, and foreshadowing his own later abandonment. ### [XCIV: A Squeeze of the Hand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xciv-a-squeeze-of-the-hand) Narrates the profound, sensual experience of squeezing spermaceti, which leads to a philosophical reflection on human connection and felicity. ### [XCVI: The Try-Works](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xcvi-the-try-works) Narrates the chapter; describes the try-works and his own terrifying, disorienting experience at the helm, which leads to a profound philosophical reflection. ### [XCVIII: Stowing Down and Clearing Up](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xcviii-stowing-down-and-clearing-up) Acts as the narrator, providing a detailed, poetic, and philosophical account of the stowing and cleaning process. He directly addresses the reader ('Oh! my friends') and reflects on the metaphysical implications of the crew's labor. ### [The Decanter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/ci-the-decanter) Narrates the chapter, shares his historical research on whaling provisions, and recounts his personal experience of hospitality aboard the Samuel Enderby. ### [CII: A Bower in the Arsacides](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cii-a-bower-in-the-arsacides) Narrates his anatomical investigation and mystical experience in the Arsacidean whale temple; has the whale's dimensions tattooed on his arm. ### [CIII: Measurement of the Whale’s Skeleton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/ciii-measurement-of-the-whale-s-skeleton) Narrates the chapter, presenting his careful calculations and observations of the whale skeleton, and reflecting philosophically on the limits of human understanding. ### [The Fossil Whale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/civ-the-fossil-whale) Narrator and self-proclaimed geologist, who expansively meditates on the whale's fossil history and its sublime, ancient grandeur. ### [Does the Whale’s Magnitude Diminish?—Will He Perish?](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cv-does-the-whale-s-magnitude-diminish-will-he-perish) Acts as the narrator and philosophical investigator, presenting geological evidence, historical anecdotes, and logical arguments to defend the whale's enduring size and species immortality. ### [CXI: The Pacific](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxi-the-pacific) Narrates the chapter, offering a meditative and awe-filled reflection on the Pacific Ocean's mystery and eternal quality. ### [CXV: The Pequod Meets the Bachelor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxv-the-pequod-meets-the-bachelor) Narrates the vivid contrast between the two ships, observing the Pequod's crew casting 'grave, lingering glances' at the departing Bachelor. ### [CXXXIV: The Chase—Second Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxxiv-the-chase-second-day) Implied narrator of the collective crew's experience; describes their unified, frenzied state as 'one man, not thirty.' ### [Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/epilogue) The narrator and sole survivor, describing his miraculous escape via Queequeg's coffin. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/endnotes) Narrates a personal memory of seeing his first albatross, reflecting on its mystical whiteness and his emotional response, and provides various technical notes on whaling. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/ishmael - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters